Going to the beach? Well, maybe you should wait

5:30 p.m. Update: The delays extend about nine miles from the bridge to Rowe Boulevard.

3:20 p.m. Update: Here's what the road looks like right now at Route 50 and Sandy Point.

11:55 a.m. Update: A traffic camera trained on U.S. 50 at Sandy Point shows heavy volume on beach-bound traffic that's just going to increase as the day progresses. At this point, you may want to finish up tasks around the office or hang around the house for a few hours. See below for some times Maryland officials recommend heading out.

Original post: The Maryland Transportation Authority estimates nearly 470,000 vehicles will travel the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Thursday through Monday, 2 percent more than last year.

State officials say here are the best times to travel:
-- Friday before noon and after 10 p.m.
-- Saturday before 7 a.m. and between 5 and 10 p.m.
-- Sunday between 7 and 11 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
-- Monday before 11 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

You can also find out just how bad things are before you go:
-- Call 1-877-229-7726 for the latest traffic conditions.
-- Check out the live Web cams from the bridge.

When I drove over the bridge Friday as I do every weekday evening just before 2200 I was surprised to notice that traffic was lighter then what I normally see on a Friday evening on a three day weekend.